A Tale of Two Brothers
by Yue-eternal
Summary: Alas my grandchild, the forbidden tale of the two brothers is once retold to you. A sad tale of two brothers who wished for nothing more than togetherness. [HaoYoh] [Oneshot]


**A Tale of Two Brothers**

Disclaimer: I do not own Shaman king. Only the storyline.

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Love itself was not a pure and innocent belief. It was what humans made up, humans thought and the humans ways of playing with miscellaneous feelings in which they stumbled upon. It was sickening, disgusting and grossed to find that love itself as a powerful source.

Which in fact it wasn't one at all. All it brought was hate, jealousy, forcing the pathetic beings to know a gruesome side which they never knew before. That was again how humans blinded themselves from all light, all hope, all truths and all life.

Not that he cared.

But that was one thing which he didn't want to risk. Emotion. They weren't a part of him anymore. That word alone betrayed him of his true beliefs and abandoned him for darker resolutions. That word alone made his blood boiled, made every part of his body flared up in anger…and sadness.

It was not as if he was stupid enough to fall for such a trick. It was not as if he got entranced by that word alone. It betrayed him again. And he hated himself for it. A millennium he had waited and a millennium he had suffered. He wasn't going to let a small thing like this ruined his life again. No. He would earn it. Earn the respect he should have received long ago.

He was born through a series of chain reactions. In simple terms, it was a mistake. Born as twins, they were never treated as one. The King and Queen and their whole entire kingdom treated it as a bad omen. The arrival of twins signaled the arrival of the devil itself. Devil had come to visit them in his own way.

At first, the King and Queen loved them dearly. Not one speck of harm should come their way or else consequences would come and take the lives away. They ignored the bad omen which had caused to their long forgotten kingdom. The Royal Family watched as their sons grew and grew. Same features were perfectly drawn on their faces but sadly, their personality remained different.

One was kind, cheerful and always full of warmth in him but the other was dark, brood and practically, emotionless at all. During their childhood days, even under the watchful and disgusting eyes of the commoners, they never have a moment of peace. Even treated as outcasts in the kingdom, they strived together to protect themselves from any harm.

The brooding and elder twin was named Asakura Hao whilst the younger of the twins was granted the name Asakura Yoh. Nobody treated them as a royalty who MUST be respected at all cost. Their birth was a mistake. A huge mistake and the people hated their ruler about it.

"BURN THEM ALL!"

Yells and shouts of protest would be thrown against the castle walls. But the royal could only do little about it.

"They're Devils in disguise I tell you! So burn them all before darkness dwells in our land!"

The same phrase and shouts echoed through the King's and Queen's ears. They were helpless about it. It was a sin to have twins and they knew it. But could a mere human like themselves do something which god forbids? Could they kill their own flesh and blood because of it?

The Queen cried out loud, running to her only flesh and crying out to her only blood. Young Yoh glanced up at his beloved mother in surprise, wondering why tears were streaming non stop from her eyes. She shook her head sadly in respond, soothing her son calmly. She didn't want to scare them. They had suffered enough. And she had had enough. The Queen couldn't take it anymore. She knew she was suffering from mental illness and she was on the verge of insanity.

Hao was the more mature and calm one. Not one small smile could be seen on his face. Not even one tiniest of all frowns could be seen. That darkened the Queen's heart. Maybe he was the actual Devil. Ugly thoughts started to form on her mind as she stared fearfully at Hao.

"DON'T COME NEAR ME YOU DEVIL! GIVE ME BACK ME CHILD! I WANT HAO BACK! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!" She would cry every time the poor emotionless boy was near her.

The word mother which escaped the young boy's lips was fatal. She screamed out loud something about Devil dwelling in her castle, pointing at Hao every time she said so. At last, she soon died because of mental stress. News on the Queen's death made sadness and darkness covered the entire kingdom.

The rebellions worsen, causing more trouble every now and then. All this disaster was caused because of the birth of the twins. Ten years later, a high ranking priest took shelter in the King's land and heard of the problems as well as the twins. He went to talk to the king about it and gave advice.

"Your Majesty, thou child must be burned before deadly plagues killed the land, dampening all lives and hopes of nature. The Devil must be stop." He had vaguely inquired to the sad King.

The King absently nodded. He had lost his hope when his beloved wife had died, all because of the twins. His children had brought nothing but disasters to them. "But surely thou would not be serious on exposing of thee child?" The King asked in fury.

"All for the best." The priest replied. "Plague will destroyed your kingdom. All lives and hopes will be lost. Surely, your majesty won't allow that to happen?.!"

"Am I allowed to keep one?"

"As you wish. The evil one of them must be burned. That's all I ask for and that's all the people of Gaviadar asked for!" He chided, pointing at millions of peasants protesting outside the castle walls.

Thus, the conversation was ended and a promise was made.

They must be burned at all cost. No Devils would destroy what his ancestors had established. No warriors and brave knights' sacrifice would go wasted. The decision was made and there was no turning back. He took one last glance at the cursed twins before ordering the guards to take the elder one away.

It hurt him.

But he had no choice or else his people would suffer. His kingdom would die. And his ancestors would curse.

Now, it was the poor twins turn to suffer. Nobody knew that in the darkest corner of the castle, a taboo and a sin was practiced. The twins held love and eternal hope in each other. It was nothing compared to brotherly love. It was an act against god's teaching. It was an act of incest. Hell will welcome them for it.

Neither of them cared anymore for their love was much deeper than their soul. They vowed to each other that they will never be separated, no matter how much obstacle they had to overcome. They MUST be together. Their heart beat as one as they joined together to form a barrier which covered them from the watchful eyes of the people who roamed the land.

Yoh's bpdy melted into Hao's, loving every minute of it. Moans and sharp cries were music to their ears. Together, they joined as a whole. Together, they overcome the burden. Together, their heart beats as one. Together, their soul entangled with each other, not letting the other go no matter what will happen.

But it was too late.

The King seen their disgraceful acts.

No matter how much the forbidden lovers yearned for each other's warmth. It was too late.

"Father! Please don't take him away! Please!" Yoh cried, not letting go of his elder's clothing.

"There's no room for you to speak here!" The King coldly answered, trying to pull the two apart.

For once, the emotions came back to Hao as he was being cruelly dragged away. Their fingers turned into a tight knot. Thus, a hidden promise was made. A promise which they would cry for. A promise which will never be forgotten by neither of them.

The King locked Yoh in his room and locked Hao in the dungeon where his death sentence awaited, leaving the younger's eyes did all the work. That was when Yoh lost all hope and light within him. Without his beloved brother, he won't be able to function as whole. Junk. That was all he was now and then. _A junk which should be thrown away._

Tears flowed from his face as Yoh remembered the happy moments he had experienced with his brother. He remembered how his first kiss was like. He remembered how his brother had promised until now.

He mimicked his brother's clam and emotionless voice, saying it loudly into his locked room. "I'll protect you no matter what. I'll be with you forever. So don't cry otoutou. Don't be afraid. You're mine and I'm yours. We're ours to keep." He twirled in an almost insane dance, letting out a cold laughter which echoed through the large castle. The coldness and lifeless tone in the voice scared the guards outside Yoh's room.

The blankness in his eyes and empty heart remained there. He twirled again, this time, throwing shards of broken glass around him. He danced through them, injuring his toes and his body as he 'accidentally' fell on them and hurt himself. It was the least he could do for now. His aniki would die for sure. He will wait for him whether in hell or in heaven.

No.

They won't be able to go to heaven.

God forbid it.

Then in hell he will wait.

With that, he grabbed a pair of scissors and plunged them into his heart, ignoring the cries of his father who walked into him.

"Yoh-sama!" A young maid screamed at the lifeless state of her Master.

_One last moment will do. _

_Please don't take him first._

_I need…no. I MUST do this!_

No matter how wrong this is, it was his choice. His last request. He yearned for his brother's touch. But since it was a mistake they were even born of. They never regretted their chances and the moments which they had met. Their death came so abruptly and their love ended so soon. It was not fair.

Before the elder of the twins was executed, he had killed himself in the dungeon.

They admitted their cruel life. It was a mistake to born at a year like this. They admitted it and they never regretted it. Thus, the tale of the two brothers was retold in many ways. But the darkest truth was hidden beneath the mask of people who was alive to tell it until now…

"…And that end the saddest tale of all, my grandchild." An old woman smiled. "It's time for you to sleep."

"But grand mama! It's so sad…" The young girl muttered, wiping tears from her eyes. "Why don't they live happily ever after like most stories?"

"Because it was fated. Even until their deaths, they never hold a grudge against the world for it."

"But still…they weren't supposed to die!"

"They weren't supposed to, my grandchild."

"What happened to the kingdom after their deaths?"

"Plague destroyed them. They finally believed that the Devil was not Hao-sama himself."

"Can you tell me this story again tomorrow night?"

The old woman smiled once more, nodding to her granddaughter, tucking her in bed and turning off the lights.

"Yes, my child. For the love of my two masters will never be forgotten in my days of old." She whispered once more before going into an eternal slumber.

_Two pairs of dark onyx eyes fluttered open, enjoying the sight of their reflected beings._

"_Aniki!" A young boy pouted, grasping his elder's hand tightly. "Are you serious on the whole 'I'll protect you no matter what. I'll be with you forever. So don't cry otoutou. Don't be afraid. You're mine and I'm yours. We're ours to keep.' thing?"_

_Hao let out a soft laugh, pulling Yoh closer to him. "Of course my darling otoutou. We're ours to keep forever."_

_With that their lips were sealed, creating a new promise that will hold them together, joining themselves as whole once more…for their tale are theirs to keep. _

"_We'll be together, my otoutou. We'll be together forever…"_

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Please tell me I'm not being crazy. I just finished two boxes of tissues, crying my heart out. I don't now about you but I find this story so sad! –cries louder than ever- Of all the stories I did, this is my most favoured one of all! So please tell me what you think by reviewing! –cries like an idiot again-


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